Magica – “Hereafter” (2007)

Label : AFM Records

Review by Tony Cannella

From Romania come the powerhouse 5-piece band known as Magica. The band line up consists of Ana Mladinovici (vocals), Bogdan Costea (guitar), Vali Zechiu (bass), 6Fingers (keyboards) and Cristi Barla (drums). The band have just issued their third album titled “Hereafter” and following their previous two releases “The Scroll of Stone” and “Lightbringer” the band continues to progress. The band plays what can be described as mix of classic and melodic power metal with elements of the progressive thrown in as well. The opening track “All Waters Have the Colour of Drowning” begins with a nice piano intro before really getting down to it. This song is also incidentally the first video of the album and it definitely was a good choice as it is a nice indication of what Magica is all about. Some really great vocals are supplied by Ana and the track also features some great musicianship and orchestration – and a nice guitar solo by Bogdan Costea deserves mention here. Next up is “Turn to Stone”. This song keeps the pace going forward. It features a nice rock-solid guitar riff throughout and a great melody. Once again Ana‘s vocals really soar. She really does have an excellent voice and is truly a star in the making. Next is “Through Wine”. This is just a straight forward power metal track and definitely one of the highlights here. “No Matter What” keeps things going with its message of optimism and is followed by “Entangled”. This is a dramatic sounding song that Ana really sings her heart out on. This starts off as if it is going to be a ballad before it kicks in and maintains a steady, melodic mid-tempo throughout. Other highlights include: “This Is Who I Am”, “Weight of the World” and “Shallow Grave”. “Energy for the Gods” is another favorite. Possibly the heaviest song here it also features some cool male vocals to go alongside Ana‘s. I’m not sure who it is supplying the male vocals since it is not listed on the CD but it’s still a nice touch. The final two songs “I Remember a Day” and the beautiful piano-laden ballad “Into Silence” are a nice way to close things out here. While their previous two albums were still very good they only hinted at the potential of this band. With “Hereafter” Magica have put it all together and delivered a CD that features 11 songs and 50 minutes worth of high quality melodic metal. There is not one bad song in the bunch. From the album cover art work, to the musicianship, songwriting and of course the songs, Magica are indeed the total package. This is one of my favorite albums of 2008. Definitely in my top three.